“I am suffering from the Egyptian government!”
MEB Journal Managing Editor, Habib Battah, spoke to the forever joyful Nilesat CEO at this year’s Cabsat trade show in March.

You spoke of the dangers of privatization, can you elaborate?
If we want to liberate the ownership from the government to the hand of the private sector-- is there any danger? Yes. They (private investors) will not feel any obligations toward the society or the homeland. They want to generate profits; that's all. So if it suits them, they will sell songs, sex, anything. The world is progressing in so many fields and we are just singing; that’s all.
 
Isn’t it inevitable that Arab satellite companies will be privatized like those in the US and Europe?
But they are not just playing all the time, singing all the time! Until now, we don’t have any regulatory bodies.
 
Will Nilesat be privatized?
We are a private sector company, not a government company.
 
But government still has an indirect influence over Nilesat.
No! ERTU (The Egyptian Radio and Television Union) is owned by the government, but it has just 40 percent of the budget...you can buy half of them. You have money? Please go ahead; they are looking for someone to take that share.
Someone once came to me from the US embassy in Cairo, asking me to remove the Lebanese Al Manar channel from NileSat, because they are against it, because of Hezbollah. I said I have no right to do that. He said I talked to the ministry of foreign affairs, I said I am not part of the Egyptian government; I cannot take orders from them. He said alright I will talk to the ministry of information, I said am not obliged to obey any of them I have nothing to do with the content of the channels. I am not an official of the government.
 
And you are not influenced by officials.
No! Why? I am suffering from the Egyptian government, they have 40 percent of the budget as owners, but they are using our satellites and they are not paying their rents fully, regularly. So they owe me a lot and they are hurting me. I am encouraging the government to sell its share to somebody else.
 
Will they sell?
They are trying (cackles). I told them please try either to pay me or to sell your shares to someone who will pay me.
So I'm not encouraged or backed or paid by the government (laughing)!

Anyone is eligible to buy the shares?
Yes, anybody. Even if UAE wants to have a share in the company, they are welcome; any foreign company. Our business has nothing to do with politics.
 
How is business?
Very good; we are making profits for the third year: $23 million in 2005, $10 million in 2004, and $5 million before that. So we are doubling our profits every year.
 
How many more channels can you broadcast?
As many as you like. We already have two satellites carrying 300 channels and we are cooperating with Eutelsat, which is in the same orbital position, and they have an extra satellite. We have all the vacancies we need, until we launch our next satellite, so we are doing well.
 
When will you launch your next satellite?
By the end of 2007 or 2008.